Anatomy of a Relationship
by kusudama.ball
Summary: Ash, Misty, and a few moments from their lives. Drabble Collection, Pokeshipping
1. Pokemon

Disclaimer: No own, no sue.

* * *

"I don't think I'll ever get it." Ash sighed, resting one of his cheeks on his fist. Pikachu made a cute inquisitive sound at his side; Ash petted Pikachu's head once attentively. Both looked on at the scene with curiosity. Misty, complete with her striped green bikini, frolicked in the Cerulean gym pool accompanied by all of her Pokemon, along with some new friends.

In a rare moment of thoughtfulness, Ash had decided to visit Misty just because he knew she had missed him. As usual, Ash also had a full team of Pokemon on him, which, right now, were all playing in (or around) Misty's gigantic pool.

"You know what, Pikachu? I never get how she does this." Ash sighed again, and Pikachu grinned, finally catching on. The two watched Gliscor and Staraptor soar around Misty in furious circles as she preformed another dive to the applause of Chimchar and Grotle; Buizel and several of her own Pokemon swan up to her excitedly as she resurfaced.

"I go and break my neck a couple hundred times to get your love and trust, but she pets you guys and you chatter at her for a few minutes then, wham! You all fall in love with her!" Ash resigned himself to defeat. "Does she smell better than me or something?"

Pikachu made a cheeky remark in its language.

"Oh, thanks buddy." Ash laughed lightly. "Maybe it's just a girl thing. Say, Pikachu, do Pokemon prefer girls over guys?"

Pikachu shrugged. Misty was climbing the colossal ladder to her diving board again; Chimchar performed several acrobatic moves on the bars around her. She giggled.

"…is it because she's prettier than me?"

Pikachu burst into a full blown laugh. Ash groaned and lay back until his entire back was pressed against the tiled floor next to the pool.

"Okay, I give up. Why do you like her so much?"

Pikachu didn't say anything, just scampered away to nuzzle Misty as she finished another dive. All the Pokemon gathered around her, and she began to teach them a few basics of diving, posing her body in various positions.

"Okay, it's official. It's because she's prettier than me."

* * *

Okay, this is the first drabble of my drabble collection. It's probably going to center around Ash and Misty from other people's point of view (Dawn, Brock, Pokemon, etc.) I think drabbles are especially appealing to me because they don't have to be very long--and that really fits into my writing style. ^^


	2. Insider

Disclaimer: Kusudama does not own anything, Pokemon or otherwise.

* * *

The cold air felt good against her skin. It brought her back, to when it was just her and her sleeping bag, surrounded by the two people she had cared most about in her life. She could close her eyes and imagine her world as it was years ago, when it seemed like the days of traveling and training would go on forever.

But when she opened her eyes, Misty would remember who she really was. She was the gym leader of Cerulean City, pathetically grabbing for remnants of a life she had left behind.

A rustling in the nearby grass brought her back to her senses. Her self-pitying thoughts vanished as she squinted to identify shapes in the darkness; first a body, then distinct features, and then a small Pokemon.

Ah, Ash.

He crept towards the edges of the clearing their group had settled in—over Brock's backpack, around May and Max, and finally through the trees to a cliff Misty had pointed out before they had settled down. Misty pulled herself out of her sleeping bag so that she leaned on one elbow and glanced towards the spot where Ash had disappeared, her eyes contemplative. Azurill stirred in her arms, its tail twitching slightly; Misty lulled it back to sleep by gently stroking its ears.

Misty pulled herself completely away from her sleeping bag a moment later, leaving her baby Pokemon to cuddle into the blankets alone. She slipped and her sneakers and padded towards the place Ash had disappeared, leaving her temporary travel companions behind.

As she strolled towards the cliff, Misty tuned herself into the sounds of the night. Pokemon chirped and moved under the cover of night, crackling the dried autumn leaves and clinging to branches above her head. She eventually spotted Ash through the brown and red leaves, petting Pikachu as they both stared out into the black abyssal darkness. However much she tried to prevent it, something in her heart tinged.

"Still as odd as ever, I see." Misty said, smiling as Ash turned to face her. The moon glistened off his skin, tanned from years of walking in the sun. The lack of light faded all of his clothes—different clothes, she had noticed—to dull shades of gray.

"Not any odder than you following me out here." Ash retorted back, one hand still on Pikachu. Misty sat next to him, and mimicked his position by dangling her legs over the cliff. The two sat in silence, accompanied by the song of the wind and the gentle sound of Ash's gloved hand on Pikachu's fur.

"I miss your oddness." Misty said suddenly, starting Ash out of his reverie. He didn't reply, just stared up at the moon. A Butterfree flew over their heads and she looked up, taking in all of the beauty she had almost forgotten back at the gym.

"Sometimes, I see you on television, too. Did you know they have a channel for gym battles? I was flipping through the TV, and suddenly, I see your face staring at me in high-definition."

Misty giggled, waiting for Ash to laugh with her or fumble out an ill-prepared response. He did neither, only kept staring at the moon. Misty was taken-aback, and reached out a pale hand to tap him. But he turned to stare at her with such intensity that she flinched back, drawing her hand close to her heart.

"You don't really miss me, Misty, or else you would be here _with_ me." His voice was strained; Misty could tell it had almost cracked. Pikachu, formerly staring at Ash in contentment, turned away. "If you really missed me, you would still be traveling with me and we could still be going from town to town, like we used to. Don't you remember how it used to be, Mist?"

She narrowed her eyes. "I've already told you why I can't come, Ash; it's not like we haven't had this conversation. I've told you a thousand times before—through our letters, emails, video calls—why I can't travel again."

Ash snorted in contempt. "Yeah, and every time it's the same reason over and over again." His depressed stare returned to sky; Pikachu climbed on his shoulder in the hopes he would cheer up. "The gym doesn't need you as much as I do, Mist. Why do you need to take care of it when you have three older sisters, all of them as competent as you? They've never done anything for you, and you have bigger dreams to fulfill than just being a Gym Leader!"

Misty sighed. She should have realized the conversation would turn to this. "I know you need me, Ash. In fact, you need a lot of things. You need Pikachu, you need Pokemon, you need battling." Her voice nearly collapsed. "And you know I need you, Ash. But I need the Gym, too. It was my mother's gym, and my grandmother's before that. The gym is in my family and in my blood—I just can't let it go to waste." Misty petted the pokeballs on her belt. "Besides, the Gym is good for me. I can be with all my Pokemon—Horsea, Starmie, Caserin; they all need me as much as you do. I get to battle so much more at the gym, too; with you, I feel so trapped at the sidelines."

"And what good is battling third-rate trainers?" Ash spat out. "They're all weak, Misty, and you know it. Just as weak as I was back when I was trying to get the Cascade Badge. The Gym can't help you as much as I can; you know I could coach you on battling tactics now! I'm good enough to teach you!" His tone changed to pleading. "C'mon, Mist. Leave Daisy or Violet or Lily in charge of the gym and come with me. May would love to have a female friend, Max practically worships you, and you know Brock would love to have you back."

Misty smiled sadly, taking a chance to scratch Pikachu behind the ear. It purred in contentment, leaning towards her touch. "And what about you?"

Ash didn't respond, just reached a hand out until it was in the middle of the space between them.

"I still can't come, you know." She said, her voice soft with resignment.

But still, Misty took his hand.

* * *

I've wanted to write this for a long time. But I never got the inspiration until I watched 'The Scheme Team' again, and it suddenly struck me.


	3. Outsider

Disclaimer: Kusu no own Pokemon, but does own Brock's delicious pancakes. ^^

* * *

"Brock, I think Ash likes me."

Dawn plopped down on the plastic picnic table chairs, Piplup cuddled in her arms. Brock did a small double-take, but other than that, he continued his steady pancake flipping. Maple syrup and the batter sat in small bottles next to him, the contents glistening in the bright morning sun.

"What makes you say that?" Brock kept his voice carefully neutral—from past experience, he had learned how unpredictable girls were when it came to love. Dawn kept her eyes on Piplup.

"I don't know, Ash just acts kind of weird around me lately." Dawn seemed to grapple for words; even Piplup, normally outgoing and bold, kept quite in her arms. Brock wasn't convinced.

"How weird?"

Dawn sighed. Her hanging locks of blue hair flapped around in the breeze; along with the shadows her forehead created over her eyes, she cut out quite a different picture from her usual bubbly self.

"He doesn't look at me anymore—but when he doesn't think I'm looking, he stares at me. He always tries to pick fights too, but it's almost like he wants me to say something. If I don't say the right thing, he just gives up and goes off with Pikachu."

Brock nodded sagely. The pancakes sizzled on stove while the cogs of Brock's mind turned; Dawn stared at Brock's back inquisitively for an answer.

"When does this usually happen?"

Dawn shrugged. "He always argues with me, but he only stares at me when we let out our Pokemon."

Brock flopped a cooked pancake down onto a plate. Piplup nuzzled her arm insistently; Dawn took the hint.

"Any specifics?" Brock poured some more batter out onto his pan. Dawn cocked her head, thinking.

"I don't think so." Dawn suddenly smiled, finding something in her brain-racking. "Oh, wait! Most of the time, it's when I'm holding Piplup."

Dawn shuddered, half-horrified, half-laughing.

"But I really don't want to think he has a crush on Piplup."

Piplup pecked her arm indignantly, mewling in its own language. Dawn patted its head gently.

Brock poured some syrup over Piplup's pancake—but out of the blue, his eyes began twinkling.

"Geez, Ash is so predictable." Brock gave a good-natured chuckle. Dawn flared her eyes, a few deprecating comments already springing to her tongue. Before she said anything, though, Brock had already held up a placating hand.

"You remember May, right?"

Dawn brightened instantly, her child-like enthusiasm on finally finding something she understood seeping through. Brock smiled gently.

"I had this conversation with her, too. You see, Ash's first traveling partner, before May, was another girl. Misty."

Dawn nodded. "Yeah, I remember. He has her fishing lure, doesn't he?"

Brock began slipping his cooking supplies back into their proper places. "Right. Don't take this personally, but Ash doesn't have a crush on you. You just—"

Dawn cut in, her mind already wrapping around the idea. "Remind him of Misty?"

Brock pulled out a few plates and arranged them into the usual eating order. "Exactly. I think he's trying to get you to argue with him like he used to with Misty. He tried this with May too—but May never turned out as hot-headed as he and Misty were. Misty was a water Pokemon Trainer; you're Piplup must remind him of her Azurill and Togepi, especially the way you carry them."

Brock smiled fondly; Dawn picked up a few brotherly remembrances in that smile. "Misty carried her Pokemon the same way you do. To Ash, you're like a living reminder of her."

Dawn grabbed her own fork and plate, some of the tension already slipping away. "So he doesn't like me?"

Brock nodded.

"Oh thank god!" Dawn laughed, loosening all of her muscles until she was stretched out on the table's bench. "To think I've been beating myself over the head about this for nothing! Ash's just really in love with—"

Dawn paused. An evil smile crept onto her face, her eyes twinkling roguishly and an inkling of a few dastardly deeds forming in her mind.

"Tell me more about this Misty, Brock?"

Somewhere in the forest, Brock hoped Ash shivered with apprehension.

* * *

Yay! This one was so much fun to write. I haven't posted anything in a while--but I plan to finally start writing more now that I have the time. I think I have some fixtation with Sinnoh!Ash and Misty's relationship, since they're so far away and Ash seems to have finally grown up a little. (Am I the only one really bugged by that?)


	4. Nurse Joy

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.

* * *

The quality of her video phone was deteriorating, the Saffron City Nurse Joy thought unexpectedly, her hands fidgeting impatiently with the machines cables under the table she was sitting at. But it probably wasn't, she reminded herself, just the quick, flighty actions of her second cousin, the Joy of Viridian. The Saffron City Joy didn't usually socialize with the rest of her extended family except for the annual reunion; however, Viridian Joy was young, just recently inheriting the center from her aunt, and, like all teens her age, a horrible gossip.

"So have you seen them yet?" the Viridian Joy eagerly sputtered out. She was jumping around in her seat; which, to Saffron Joy's irritation, screwed up the quality of her screen.

"Yes, I have seen them." Saffron Joy said, after a short pause where she nearly yanked out the cords of the phone. "But I don't get what you're so excited about."

Viridian Joy waved her hand dismissively. "You can't tell me you've seen them and don't feel the friction between the two! I mean, it's so totally obvious; I'm surprised Brock hasn't pulled his hair out yet."

Saffron Joy wrinkled her nose. Ah, yes, Brock. The trio, infamous among Joys since the day they blew up the Viridian Center, had recently stopped by Saffron. To her masochistic humor (and horror), Brock was every bit the ladies man her cousins claimed he would be—aka, not suave in the least. After an embarrassing scene where he attempted the serenade her with some instrument he managed to pull out of nowhere, the Saffron Joy had finally gotten away from him and a chance to see what her Viridian City cousin had recently been buzzing about.

Ash and Misty, the acclaimed 'cutest couple in the history of history'.

"I think he's too young for her." Saffron Joy abruptly interjected into the conversation, sending Viridian Joy into a frantic titter.

"No he's not! Love transcends age; if one of them finally came out and said it, the two wouldn't let a thing like age stop them!"

The Saffron Joy snorted, albeit as politely as she could. "Don't you think it's kind of weird you're pairing up two little kids? They have most of their lives to go; chances are, both of them are probably going to end up meeting someone else."

Viridian Joy shook her head, waving away all the doubts her cousin had started tossing around. "Don't be such a downer, Joy; the two of them still have time. Besides, when it comes to Pokemon trainers, it takes a lot to pull groups like that apart."

The Saffron Joy was still cynical of her cousins reasoning. It almost sounded like one of those bad movie romances where those best friends forever find themselves slowly falling in love and end up triumphing over obstacles to find the perfect relationship—giving her even more of a reason to doubt her cousin.

"But they're still only ten years old! Joy, you can't go around being matchmaker to little kids. It's not just weird, it's downright _creepy._" Saffron Joy argued back, finally sitting up straight and concentrating on the conversation.

On her end, Viridian Joy breathed a heavy sigh. "How can you not see the tension between those two?" Her tone changed from resigned to mildly teasing. "Is this why you can never get a date, Joy?"

Saffron Joy narrowed her eyes and turned away, biting back retorts tipping on the edge of her tongue. On the other end, Viridian Joy giggled and waved her hands up jokingly.

"Don't kill me, coz, don't kill me!"

Saffron Joy cracked her lips into a smile. Viridian Joy smiled back, then launched straight into their previous conversation.

"So, any bets on how long it's going to take them to get together? I'd say after he gets into the league—where your sister at Indigo is." Viridian Joy nodded, as if confirming what she just said. Saffron Joy repressed an amused sigh, and then smirked.

"Okay, and I'll take before he gets to Indigo. But we're going to bet something real this time, cousin. How about…" Saffron Joy trailed off, racking her brain for a horrendously boring task she figured she would have to do in the near feature. Suddenly, she had an idea. "How about you take both my shifts at Indigo if I win, and I take yours if you win?"

Viridian Joy grinned. "It's a done deal." With one last laugh, Viridian Joy flicked off the switch connecting their phones, and Saffron Joy, content with their deal, swung her chair around until she was face-to-face with the Center's computer.

Joy grinned. Her cousin never said she couldn't intervene, right? Accessing the computer's files at light-speed, Joy laughed with the knowledge was only a few clicks away from being duty-less at Indigo.

Because, really, when you have a guy and girl buzzing with tension sleeping in a room with only one bed, something was bound to happen.

Right?

* * *

Gossipy!Nurse Joy ftw. She's probably the awesomest thing since sliced bread--and seriously, you can't deny the Joy's _don't_ have a betting pool going.

But the Jennies are probably just betting on who's going to get arrested first. ^^


End file.
